


let's drive around town holding hands

by wondyrs



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Badass Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Best Friends, College Student Eren Yeager, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eren Yeager Is a Ray of Sunshine, Eren and Jean are roommates, Eventual Romance, Female Hange Zoë, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Graduate student Levi, Hurt/Comfort, Less of an age difference, Levi and Hange are roommates, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Minor Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Past Levi/Petra Ral, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-11 13:14:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11715120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wondyrs/pseuds/wondyrs
Summary: For Eren, college life has been pretty rough, stressful and honestly kind of dull. That is, until one night when Levi suddenly enters his life to save him like a badass hero, making Eren discover things in life that can't be learned in college.For Levi, he had done lost all interest and faith in humanity, and wants to finish grad school to leave as soon as possible. That is, until a certain crazy yet fascinating kid pulls him into his life, making Levi rethink everything he has ever believed in.As they become the unexpected best of friends through a course of various college adventures, they also start to slowly fall for each other like no other. This is the story of them crushing hard, having confused feelings and trying to figure out what it all means.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first Ereri fanfic! I always had many ideas for college moments in my head so I decided to put them together in a story. Hope you guys enjoy it~ More chapters to come soon...
> 
> Time for a dramatic first meeting:

"Eren!" Mikasa called out to him while he was running away.

"Forget it Eren!" Armin cried, trying to persuade Eren to stop but with no avail. He sighed, knowing how Eren was always this impulsive and that nothing he did would stop him. After all these years he had given up trying to stop Eren.

The two stood there in the parking lot next to Armin's car with its recently broken window and watched as Eren took off to chase the thief.

And boy was Eren full of rage. In the chilly, moonlit streets of downtown, he sprinted as fast as he could to chase down the enemy. From the way the thief treated his best friends' car and possessions, he'd show no mercy. He'd beat the criminal, probably to the brink of death, if it were the only way to get back Armin's stolen phone. Despite being already badly beaten and bloodied up in the face, he continued to pursue the man with full force and sheer determination.

"Give back the phone or I will fucking MURDER YOU!" he yelled as he was closing the gap to the thief. He ignored the pain from the cuts and bruises suffered back from fighting at the parking lot, and only ran faster.

As Eren reached the criminal, he grabbed onto the larger man, only to be tossed back down to the ground in a loud thud.

"Oi what the fuck is going on?" said a voice beside them, who now just became a bystander. The man had just left a nearby bar by himself when he witnessed the whole chase and fight scene that happened in the empty streetside.

Eren was too busy pursuing the thief to notice anyone watching. Not taking his eyes off the thief who had momentarily stopped, he glared and yelled, "This thief fucking broke into my friend's car and stole his phone!"

Eren was trembling and breathing heavily as he pushed himself off from the ground and was about to roll in more punches when the bystander got a hold reached to the thief first and grabbed the thief by the arm. As the thief was about to run away from the grasp, the bystander, despite being comparably smaller in size, threw down the thief with sheer force. Shocked, Eren watched in complete awe.

"Is that true?" The bystander interrogated, as he glared down at the thief. The smaller man's features were so sharp and his demeanor so cold, it even gave Eren chills.

The thief attempted to get up but was soon met with a powerful kick that sent the criminal back to the ground.

Eren just sat there and stared with his mouth agape, amazed at how a man smaller than he was took down the thief he'd been trying to beat up without even breaking a sweat.

With the thief lying on the concrete sidewalk, the bystander put his right foot on the body.

"Now where is the phone?" He demanded. He then saw the outline of the phone in the front pocket of the thief's jeans, and with one more hard kick, he reached into the pocket to retrieve the phone.

The man now faced Eren with the phone in his hand. "Is this it?"

Eren nodded, clearly at a loss for words at the moment. The man handed him the phone and Eren took it, his hand slightly shaking.

The man turned back to the criminal who was now unconscious. "Disgusting," he muttered, with the same unwavering expression. "You've got nothing better to do?" He turned to Eren. "I'll take care of the shitty bastard."

Eren, instead of thinking of never messing with this man, was in complete admiration.

"Thanks..." Eren was still utterly dumbstruck. "..And holy fuck." He was mesmerized by the man's piercing steel eyes, stoic expression, and not to mention, flawless physique.

The man scoffed in amusement to the kid's response. "Just get home safely and clean yourself up. Don't get yourself into any more trouble, alright brat?"

"Okay," said Eren, forgetting how to form any other words. The man stuck out his hand and helped Eren get up. "Hey thanks again. I'm Eren by the way. And you are?"

The man looked at him and contemplated. He never freely gave out his name to people, let alone strangers. He could care less about getting to know new people or engaging in that petty small talk. It was a waste of his time. But this particular stranger had been an exception. From the moment he laid his eyes on him.

"Levi."

Eren then heard running footsteps from afar.

"Eren!" A voice called from a distance. Eren made out the approaching figures and distinguished them as Armin and Mikasa. "Are you alright?!" Armin called out.

And from then on the two took care of Eren. They thanked Levi, explained the situation to him and parted ways. The two supported Eren's weight until they got him safely back into the car.

Settling in the car, Armin took the wheel, while Mikasa sat next to Eren in the backseat to tend his injuries.

"Eren, you got to learn to stop being so reckless." Mikasa chided.

"Aaah Mikasa, I know." He rolled his eyes. "And I'm fine. I can handle it myself."

"You really didn't have to. But I'm really grateful that you got my phone back." Armin admitted.

Eren beamed. "Of course. I never let bastards get away with shit, especially not from you guys."

Armin smiled because that was completely true. As crazy as Eren was, this trait of him was what Armin had always admired, the unwavering fire in him as well as his sense of justice. That has never changed.

Eren couldn't take all the credit though. "It actually wasn't really me this time though. Did you see that badass guy? Levi? The way he took that thief down was insane."

And from the drive back to the college campus, Eren could not shut up about Levi. The way how he effortlessly beat the living hell out of the thief without a sweat, or how he did so while still looking so flawless.

He admitted that he had a bit of a friend crush on him. Okay more like a man crush. And he cursed himself for not getting his number, or any other way to somehow see him again.

All the way back to his dorm room, his mind was still racing. The whole incident had been a blur but his mind kept going back to the lingering image of Levi. And how fucking cool and badass he was. _Fuck, I'm going to lose him forever now. When am I going to find someone like him again?_

And there he smiled like an idiot, just thinking about him, and then cursing himself again knowing that he may never see him again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi had just taken care of the whole incident and was walking back to his place. However, he couldn't stop thinking about the kid.

The kid was insane. He was a hot-headed idiot with a death wish, without the slightest bit of common sense if it were to save him. Hell, he might've died trying if Levi didn't interfere. And yet that was the very thing that Levi respected, or say, admired about him. The fact that the kid was willing to go to such lengths just to get his friend's phone back, his FRIEND'S for Christ's sake. Plus without the slightest bit of fear, he fought his heart out despite being the underdog. Maybe that was the reason why Levi even bothered to help out in the first place.

And his eyes. The way how bright and green they were was just ridiculous. Levi also saw a certain fire in them that he'd never seen in anyone else. Not to mention how goddamn big they were.

_No stop, this is getting too weird._

At the very least he was amused by the kid. Fascinated even. Weirdly enough to admit it, he wondered if he'll ever come across him ever again.

Levi opened the door and was met by the shrilling voice of his housemate Hanji.

"Levi you're back! Where did you go? Did you go to the bar? Did you get-"

"Oi calm your pants shitty glasses." He grumbled. He had long been used to Hanji's over-enthusiastic way of talking, despite how he still hated how annoyingly optimistic she always was.

"Levi you're no fun. You gotta-" she looked at him in the eyes now and her glasses glimmered in the light. "No way."

He hated how well she could always see right through him. He hated how no matter how hard he tried to hide his emotions, he was always exposed behind his expressionless demeanor of his face by no one else ever but Hanji. Hell, he couldn't fathom how he was still living with her or how he hasn't murdered her yet.

"What HAPPENED? Who is it?" She exclaimed.

Levi sighed, as his eyebrows sunk lower and accepted his defeat for keeping tonight's incident a secret.

Normally, he rarely told anything about his personal life. But being so tired today and distracted by his thoughts, he thought telling his story wasn't that bad of an idea to stop her pestering.

And so he told her everything, from when he first witnessed the street fight, to his bright green eyes. He talked about how Eren was a stupid ass brat, but intriguing nonetheless.

"Dammit Levi you should've taken him home! I wanna meet him now!"

"Hell no. You'd creep the fuck out of him."

"Come on, at least you could've gotten his number or something. Of all the years I've known you, you've never been this interested in someone before."

She was right and he hated her for that. Levi always hated people. Sure he had plenty of friends but it usually took him a while to even be interested in getting to know someone.

"Shut up. I'm going to bed." Levi resorted, heading towards the stairs. "And clean up the kitchen, it's disgusting."

Hanji had long been used to Levi's asshole attitude and remarks and smirked at the fact that he didn't deny it like he always does. Things were finally starting to get interesting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering, the title is from ILYSB by LANY~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again at a bar.

A week has passed since the incident. After another grueling week of classes, it was finally the weekend and Eren couldn't be more relieved. He was dying from all the workload and couldn't wait for a bit of a break.

It was 9pm on a Saturday night and Eren along with his friends Armin, Mikasa, Sasha and Connie were at a table at Bar Maria.

Bar Maria was the usual place they always hung out at every weekend, every pre and post exam, every occasion he could think of. It was the place to complain and tell stories from the week.

Over the course of the night, they all had light snack and drinks as Sasha talked about her giant steak dinner she had with her club. Connie talked about how he actually passed an exam that he thought he would fail. Armin mentioned the new internship that he got accepted into and Mikasa complained about her new group project and how she still had to do everything by herself. Eren then complained about his roommate Jean for not cleaning his side of the room enough but didn't have much to say after that.

He already had long since told the story of the car thievery incident and Levi, so he was more of a listener this night, surprisingly. Though he was more of a half listener since his mind was on Levi once again. He couldn't help but wonder if he could find Levi here as well.

"I'm going to get us some more drinks, I'll be right back," Eren said as he got up.

"Okay," Armin chirped, as he then went back to their conversations.

 _Now's my chance to look for him if he's here._ Eren peered around the other tables, trying to look for him without making it too obvious. He searched around the room and swore he still remembered what Levi looked like, but Levi was nowhere to be seen.

 _Ahh it's okay..what are the chances that he'll be here anyway? He might be here next time since we come here so often after all._ Eren couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Nonetheless, he pushed the thought aside and went up to the bar.

He found a stool to sit on and propped his arms on the table. On the left he turned to see a couple of men and women chatting in a group. On the right he saw three other men with one that looked... _Wait could that be him? What are the chances??_

He stared at the back of the man and surely it's gotta be him. From his jawline and his hair to the back of his neck and his lean figure, it was as close to Levi as he could remember. Suddenly feeling his heart beating fast, he was filled with exhilarating anticipation. _Was he really Levi from that night?_

Eren scooched closer until he was a seat away from him. There was only one way to find out. "Levi?"

 

~~~

 

Levi was only half-listening to Erwin and Auruo talking about mundane irrelevant things when he heard his name being called. It was such a familiar voice but he couldn't pinpoint who exactly it was from. He turned his head to see who or was only to find out it was that Eren kid from the night before.

In front of him, were those bright green eyes he had remembered and the longer he looked the brighter and bigger they seemed to get.

"Levi!" Eren beamed with a big grin on his face.

Levi couldn't help but seem amused at his appearance here. "Bratty kid, what are you doing here?"

Actually, he was more than pleased that Eren was here. He was having the most uninteresting time hearing his friends bicker, and a little someone new wasn't so bad at the moment.

Despite Levi's usual stoic expression, Eren couldn't contain his excitement. It was like seeing a fan meet his favorite idol. "Oh I'm just here with my friends and- you remember me from that night?"

Of course he did. "You mean that night when you got your ass beat by a thief you were pathetically trying to catch? Yeah, vaguely."

Levi wasn't sure how well his sarcastic response and dry way of talking would sit with Eren but he was surprised at how he just laughed, genuinely.

"Yeah that sounds about right," Eren responded. "Thanks for seriously saving my ass. I owe you a drink."

No one has ever approached Levi like that, and shamelessly curious to see how this would go, he took up Eren's offer and Eren proceeded in ordering a few shots.

As soon as the drinks arrived, Eren chugged a whole shot in one go. "So, where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

Levi picked up his shot glass by the rim. "Self-taught." Not a lie.

He took a drink and placed it on the table. When he turned to look at Eren, he found him staring back in disbelief.

"No fucking way. You're shitting me."

Levi shrugged like it was nothing.

"Could you teach me?"

Levi gave him a skeptic look. "Tch." He considered it for a moment. "I'll think about it. Though I don't usually teach shitty brats with shitty punches."

"Hey!" Eren laughed as he playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"Idiot. What the hell were you thinking?" Levi teased. "Was your head full of shit? You could have easily gotten knocked out, had I not stepped in."

"I dunno, just... rage I guess."

"It looked like you shit rage."

Eren nearly spat out his drink. Then he scoffed, smirking. "Well, then I wanna know, why'd you even bother to help me?"

 _What an interesting question._ "Well, as fucking fascinating it was to watch you, your tackles made me almost pity the ugly bastard."

"Jeez, really?" Eren found Levi's responses to be intriguing at the very least.

"But you had ferocity, I'll give you that. And a great heart for your friend." He stopped before adding, "Also you looked so mad like you were gonna explode. You were like a.... like a fucking baby tomato."

Eren seemed like he couldn't get what the hell Levi was getting at. "..Was that a compliment..?"

"In your dreams, you little shit," he said shutting him down.

They ended up taking throughout the night for hours. As the night went on, they then started to really let up about themselves.

Levi learned that Eren was a sophomore in Trost University, that he along with his best friend Armin and his adoptive sister Mikasa were from a small town called Shiganshina a few hours away from here.

Levi then said that he was a grad student at Trost from the city of Sina. Although Levi did not reveal much of his past, he did mention that he grew up with his two best friends Isabel and Farlan. He also mentioned that he came here to the bar with his colleague Auruo and his co-worker Erwin.

It was rather strange at how well Levi was getting along with Eren. Normally when talking to strangers, he would find them annoying to converse with and would find himself stuck in awkward silences. Or just a complete waste of time. But with Eren it was different. He couldn't get enough of what weird shit Eren had to say. They started hitting it off even better when they started talking about roommates.

"Do you live with a roommate?" Eren asked.

"Don't get me started on shitty glasses." He glared.

Eren made a funny face. "Shitty glasses?"

"Hanji. She's the bioengineering freak I have to deal with on a daily basis. This morning I woke up next to a glass of frog eyeballs in the bathroom."

"Holy shit," Eren blurted.

"I've now grown used to her weird annoying antics. But that's also because I've known her since college. What about you?"

Eren let out a groan. "Dealing with horseface is such a pain in the ass."

"Horseface?" Levi was fascinated.

"Yeah, his face looks like a fucking horse."

Levi couldn't help but snicker. "Not bad." Making Levi laugh was not easy and the kid had already mastered that.

"Like he can be cool and all, but he also always manages to piss me off at least once a day, he's so fucking annoying," Eren complained. "He never cleans his side of the room and whether I tell him to do so, he tells me to stop nagging him like a mom. Though he clearly needs a mom since he never does anything. And then when his mom comes to visit him, he treats his mom like trash. Like Jesus Christ, not everyone has a mom. The fucking nerve."

Levi saw that in Eren's pissed face, he was also a bit hurt. He assumed that his family wasn't a perfect one either.

"Well, join the club," Levi said, breaking the bit of silence.

"What?" Eren was confused.

"All I had was a shit uncle," Levi admitted. _Wait what the fuck are you doing? You never tell anyone about your past._

But then he remembered that from the start, Eren was different. Not to mention he was thoroughly impressed by what the kid had in him. As insane as he was, he still had a morality like no other. Plus he shared the habit of making the best nicknames for people.

When Eren heard that, he suddenly understood and they felt a deep connection somehow. It was nice finding someone who could relate.

Later into the night, when the alcohol started to get to their heads, that was when things got weirder.

"Hey Levi," Eren started, his words slightly slurred, "have you ever thought...what if giant man-eating monsters existed?"

"Eren what the fuck."

"That would suck so bad. I'm glad we're on top of the food chain. Though..." Eren paused to turn to Levi and smiled, "I bet you'd totally kick their asses."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"No, more like totally _annihilate_ them. Until they are completely,.. obliterated," Eren said with pride. "I'd stick with you."

Levi was once again amused at how high of a regard Eren had of him. Most people were turned off by his cold and blunt personality. But somehow, the kid didn't mind one bit. "Whatever brat," was all he said.

And it was late at night when even Levi guards were down. At one point, Levi couldn't take his eyes off of him. The more he studied him, the more he noticed that Eren was actually quite attractive. Needless to say, the last time he saw him, Eren was all bloodied up, bruised and sweaty in a dark alley, so he had not noticed how fine his hair fell on his face or how lean his body was. But mostly he was fixated on his goddamn eyes.

"What's up with your eyes?" Levi asked.

"My eyes..?"

"Yeah," Levi grabbed Eren's chin and pulled him in closer. "How are they so damn green and huge? It's fucking weird."

Eren didn't know how to answer that. "I-uh was born with them like that I guess."

"Well, no shit." _Born with eyes, he says._ "Has anyone told you that they are weirdly...nice?"

Eren had the stupidest smile on. "Guess you're the first."

He didn't even know why that satisfied him so much but it did.

Eren then suddenly got a phone notification. He reached for his phone to check and Levi tried to read his face to see what it was. Girlfriend? Boyfriend?? Or was he single? He realized how much he still didn't know about him.

"Aw fuck."

"What?"

Eren rolled his eyes and pressed his fingers into his temple. "Horseface is fucking in my room tonight."

 _Oh. Huh_. Not what he expected. And not gonna lie, kinda funny.

"I don't know if I can even find a place to crash tonight..." Eren sighed, bitterly annoyed as he scrolled through his other texts.

"You can crash at my place." Levi offered automatically and bluntly, which surprised even himself. He knew that Hanji was out this weekend, thank God, and he did have an extra bed but- _What the fuck are you saying? Inviting someone you just met to your place? And you're a neat freak?_ It was too late to take it back though.

Eren blinked. "W-wait are you serious?"

"Yes, or no, brat, or I'll take back my offer."

"I -" Eren contemplated for a second, then his face lit up. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He didn't expect Eren to actually take the offer. He'd have to roll with it then. "Then we should probably go. It's late." Levi got up and he had just realized that they were almost the last two people in the bar. Eren had distracted him so much that he forgot when his friends left. _What a brat._

They headed out the door and on the way to Levi's house, Eren patted his back saying, "Hey thanks again. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Levi answered simply, feeling glad he offered now.

"You're seriously the best."

That made him weirdly happy, which pissed him off. "No need to be sappy now," Levi replied.

Eren, surprised at the response, then smirked, "alright, ...shorty."

 _The hell, was he a child or what? Did I hear him clearly?_ "The fuck did you say?" Levi glared.

Eren was getting ready to run and had the biggest shit-eating grin now. "Shortyyyy," he teased.

He sure messed with the wrong person. And he sure was an idiot, given that he was clearly impressed with Levi's martial arts last time. Oh, he'll give him hell.

"Oh fuck you."

Eren took off and Levi proceeded in chasing him around. Eren sure was fast and had the nerve to playfully stick out his tongue at him too. In return, Levi managed to bring Eren to a chokehold, aggressively nudging his hair until he got Eren to take it back.

They fooled around along the whole way and somehow, they magically ended up at Levi's place. He had no idea how.

Eren leaned his head and elbows onto the door on the porch breathing heavily. "Oh my god I'm dead."

Levi fiddled around his pocket for the key, and opened the door, making Eren tumble forward.

"Oi, shoes," Levi said pointing down to them as he walked in.

"Right, sorry about that," Eren said, while clearly struggling to take them off and almost losing his balance in the process.

Levi watched in amusement. _What a fool._ "You really are incompetent."

"Oh shut up," Eren laughed, as he finally took off his second shoe and placed the pair onto the mat.

Levi, thinking about the next arrangements for his new drunk, bratty guest, pointed towards the direction of the living room and said, "You can get settled on the couch for now. I'll be right back."

Eren agreed, made his way to the couch and took off the hoodie he was wearing. Levi headed to the guest room in the apartment that he used as a study and started to set up the bed with fresh clean sheets from the closet. Then he realized these pillows were too dusty. He rummaged his closet for new pillow covers until he found them and replaced the ones in the pillows. Then he decided that the books weren't aligned enough and straightened all the books on his shelf and his desk. By the time he finally was satisfied with the state of the room, he had almost forgotten about his own guest.

Levi hurriedly went back to check on him and to tell him that his room was ready, only to find that Eren was indeed already fast asleep. He had snuggled himself into a cozy position on his side, and he looked so comfortable with his face at peace, his stupidly long eyelashes at his closed eyes, and his arms at the inside of the couch. And here Levi was, trying to figure out how someone can look this good while sleeping. He hated to admit, but goddamn did he look so stupidly cute right now.

Levi couldn't help but smile. He grabbed his phone and snapped a quick picture in because he could, and then quietly headed back to bring a blanket. As he came back, he placed the blanket on Eren and after one more glance, he left to his room, ready to finally get a good night's rest.

And as his thoughts wandered, he realized that in his string of fate, how funny the world works and how as much as annoyingly cliche it was, he was glad that the kid somehow entered his life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That snk reference though XD
> 
> What do you think so far?
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos, aahh it warms my heart~ <3
> 
> Stay tuned for updates in a few days..


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update! 
> 
> \--- means time skip  
> ~~~ means POV change  
> Bold line means both 
> 
> I hope it's not too confusing, but I think you can figure it out pretty easily as you read ~

As the sunlight seeped into the room, Eren opened his eyes, with absolutely no idea where he was.

_Where am I?? How did I end up here? What happened last night?_

His stomach dropped, hoping he didn't have a regrettable one-night stand or something. _No, no please no._

Then the memories from last night started flooding in. He was with Levi. _Levi!_ And he remembered ordering drinks for him and talking with him for what seemed like for ages. And boy was he an asshole, but also the best asshole he's ever met. Which made no sense? But he was rather attractive though, maybe that was it. And they talked about their lives, horseface Jean.... Man-eating monsters?? Eren nearly burst out laughing himself. What was he thinking? And then something about his eyes? He was feeling warm inside just thinking about it. What an adventure.

And then something about being invited to Levi's place. _Damn, how the hell was I such a player??? And while being drunk too?_ Then he was walking with him and suddenly he was running away? _Oh fuck I made him mad. Wait but how? I hope he doesn't hate me_ _now..._

Now with almost all his memories back, he figured he was at Levi's place. He went to check his phone, which displayed 8:34 AM and 16 unread texts.

He quickly scrolled through them and some were from last night when Armin asked where he was and Mikasa freaking out. And then one where Jean "subtlety" kicked him out, or really just "sexiled" him. And the most recent one was a text from Bertholdt.

**Are you still up for meeting for lunch and working on our project at noon?  
At Panera?**

_FUCK!!!_ He had completely forgotten about the fact that he had plans today. And about his project in which of course he hadn't even started.

Sent in a mild panic, he quickly replied that he will make it, and threw the blanket off the couch as he shot up. He had to go back. Now.

He quickly folded the blanket and placed it back on the couch, suddenly conscious of the mess he made. Given that with a quick scan of the rest of the first floor, the apartment was absolutely impeccable. He grabbed his phone and headed for the door and then suddenly remembered Levi. But then he hesitated, deciding against bothering to wake him up. Instead, he opted for a note.

He scrambled around the kitchen and luckily found a pencil and a piece of paper. He bit his lip and thought for a good while before the words started flowing onto the paper.

_Thanks again for letting me stay. I really appreciate it and I've really got to find a way to repay you sometime. Sorry that I have to leave so abruptly. And I completely forgot what I said to make you mad, but I am so sorry :( I'll make it up to you, promise. Meet again soon?? Honestly, you're really fucking awesome and I'd like to get to know you better._

_Until next time ;)_

_EREN JAEGER_  
_202-555-0109_

He really wanted to meet him again, at least to thank him again in person, to talk about weird shit again, or just to talk about his day. He was just happy that he finally got to know him. They were already on a friend basis, at least he hoped, and that was already more than he had ever wanted.

Feeling satisfied with his written message, he left the note on the island table and headed out the door, in a hurry back to his dorm.

 

\---

 

"Eren wait are you serious?" Armin asked wide-eyed, sitting on Eren's bed in his dorm room.

"Yep," Eren said, shrugging. "I honestly don't believe it either."

Eren swiveled in his chair, thinking about all of last night's events that he just told Armin and how crazy it really was.

"Sounds like you had fun," Armin laughed. "Just glad that you were safe and not like kidnapped or something. Reply next time though!"

"Yeah sure," Eren replied. Then as the conversation died down, he turned back to his computer screen and started staring at his blinking cursor again on Word. He started furiously typing, then deleting. He let out an exasperated groan.

"Fuuuuuuuuckkk... I don't wanna do this... Armin, can you help me again?"

Armin sighed, hopping off from the bed. "As always."

 

~~~

 

Levi had just woke up in a frenzy. With a really strange dream too. He never woke up this late. Only when something is seriously distracting him did he ever wake up this late. Was he distracted? Guess he could say that. Was it because of a certain green-eyed brat?

Levi sighed, thinking how stupid he was. Or how he was better than this. _Speaking of which, where is he now?_

He quickly got out of bed, in a frantic state of mind, and went to the couch to see. Gone.

 _Shit._ He was distressingly disappointed, and mad at himself for being a horrible host and for not waking up earlier. He thought he'd still be able to see him, chat a little, and have him stay just a while. He even had plans to make a bit of breakfast before he left. As common courtesy, of course. Instead, he fucked it up. His morning was going just great.

He looked around again to check, then headed to the kitchen when his stomach growled. His eyes found their way to a note left on the table. It turned out to be from Eren and he immediately grabbed to read it.

_Thanks again for letting me stay. I really appreciate it and I've really got to find a way to repay you sometime. Sorry that I have to leave so abruptly. And I completely forgot what I said to make you mad, but I am so sorry :( I'll make it up to you, promise._

Pfft! He forgot that he called him shorty? The kid was a wonder.

_Meet again soon?? Honestly, you're really fucking awesome and I'd like to get to know you better._

_Until next time ;)_

_EREN JAEGER_  
_202-555-0109_

He stared at the note for a while after reading it. Fuck, the kid was going to give him diabetes. He was so disgustingly sweet it hurt. Forgetting how he made him mad, wanting to see him again... It was probably the most sickeningly cutest thing he's seen in a while. He was at least glad that he didn't screw up as badly as he thought.

And his neat handwriting, the way how he signed his name in capital letters, and the damn smiley faces...

He was actually very tempted to text him immediately. However, he stopped himself from being a moron and decided to wait and think a bit. He'd need a better moment and a better reason.

Should he text him that he got his note? Probably... but the conversation would end there, and it just felt awkward to him. Should he text him to share a meal together, to "meet again"? That would be too forward even as a new friend... He barely knew him.

Levi was going to pull his hair out over some stupid text, so he decided to stop there and get his damn morning black tea first. The fact that Eren frustrates him, frustrated him. Shitty brat.

He headed to his tea kettle to make his usual black tea. Once the water began heating up, Levi started to head back to his bedroom, only to spot something different on the couch. A hoodie?

It wasn't there before and it certainly wasn't his, so it had to be Eren's. _Huh_. Now he certainly found a reason to text him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren had just finished meeting with Bertholdt and they parted their ways. It went pretty well, and they were both satisfied with the results, just some minor changes. Eren's incredible procrastination and productivity helped them today actually. He thanked the stars for that.

He was about to head out the of Panera when he got a notification on his phone. Could it be him? He brushed it off, not getting his hopes up. It's only been a few hours, why would he contact him? Though he had really hoped that they'd still stay in touch. He didn't want Levi to be one of those people who he'd talked and known once, only to never see them again. That's what happened to most of the people he met here in college.

He'd been getting messages from his carrier all day and yes, he knew he was at his data limit. So when he checked his phone, he was shocked to see that an unknown number gave him the message:

**Hey brat**

From those two words, he knew immediately it had to be him. He didn't really know why Levi liked calling him that, but he guessed he had been a bit of a brat to him.

Smiling at his phone, Eren really was more than glad that he finally texted. But before he could even think of a reply, he got another text.

**You left your sweater here**

_Oh. Yeah that. That's where it went._ Eren didn't even really notice that he lost it until now. He thought it was just this morning that he couldn't find it in his mess, and was glad to know where it is now. He replied back:

 **Ohh that's where it is!**  
**When are you free today for me to stop by to pick it up?**

Eren waited eagerly for a response. He was on his way back to his dorm, sipping his almost empty coffee, when just a few moments later, his phone vibrated in his hand.

**I'm free after 5**

Eren thought for a bit and realized that he was pretty much free today and decided that it could work. He replied back:

**That works! I'll come over then if that's okay**

Levi then immediately responded with a

**Sure**

Eren somehow became super hyped. He hated to admit how much he was looking forward to meeting him again. He wanted to get closer to him so bad he couldn't even explain it himself. He just... really admired him. He was really impatient. A few hours had never felt this long to him before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a fake number I made sure haha..
> 
> And fun fact: some details of the story are actually based off of real people I know and my own college experiences lol
> 
> Thanks for reading and let me know what you think~!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets his hoodie back, and more

"Alright Jean I'm heading out," Eren said to his roommate, getting ready to leave the room. 

"Where're you heading?" Jean said, not looking up from his laptop. He was sitting on his bed, playing games on his computer as usual. 

"I left my jacket at Levi's house," Eren answered. Interested, Jean looked up, raising an eyebrow. 

"Who's this Levi?" Jean was curious now. "Did you get with him last night?" Jean asked with a smirk.

"No, you horseface," Eren said, trying to keep his cool. Normally he would be annoyed at this point but instead, he happily answered, "And for the record, he's a literal god."

Jean was now confused. "The fuck does that supposed to mean."

"Means he's kinda super awesome. Unlike you."

Jean crossed his arms. "Liar. I'm fucking awesome, you're just blinded by how cool I am."

"Gross," Eren muttered.

"Seems like you have a crush on him though."

"Oh- fuck off," Eren shut him down. "You don't know shit about anything. And plus you can't even keep someone for more than a day. All you do is kick me out-"

"Woah hey," Jean defended,"I just said someone is staying for the night and-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Eren didn't want to hear it. He rolled his eyes.

"Just don't get lost. Or.. get lost, for that matter."

Eren scoffed, but then realized that he will indeed get lost without his address. "The address! Well fuck me, I'm a dumbass."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Eren gave him the finger as he left the room. As he made it to the hallway, he pulled out his phone and texted 

**Ahaha my stupid ass forgot to ask you for your address**

Eren rode the elevator down and made his way to the lobby. By the time he walked out the dorm he got a response back. 

**Honestly not surprised**

**It's 104 Eldian Way**

Eren smiled at himself at the things he gets himself into, thanked him and went on his way.

 

\---

 

Eren looked up from the map on his phone and made sure that the place was right. Yep, it definitely looked familiar. The same small house with the white porch.

He walked up to the door and knocked. And before he had enough time to mentally to prepare himself, he was met with Levi's piercing eyes.

Levi was standing at the door, with the same unwavering expression. He held Eren's hoodie in his hand. 

"Looking for something?" Levi said holding it up. 

Eren, slightly still distracted at how his low voice sounded and how good he looked with his white shirt, suddenly brought himself back to earth.

"Oh yeah, my hoodie!" He said as he saw it in his hand. Levi handed it to him.  

"Kid, you worry me," Levi said. He knocked Eren's head. "A blockhead like you... You make it okay this morning?"

"Oh yeah yeah sure," Eren said, "I forgot I had to meet with someone earlier today." 

Then as they stood there, Eren suddenly remembered that he wanted to ask what he forgot. 

"Oh yeah, by the way, what happened last night?" Eren asked curiously. 

Levi looked at him deadpan in the face. "You serious?"

No, he didn't forget  _everything_. "I mean," Eren clarified, "I remember meeting you at the bar and everything, but then afterward, I have no idea how I ended up on your couch. And also did I make you really mad? What did I do?"

"Oh that," Levi said amusedly, now getting a grasp of the situation. "Well, you were just being a little shit. But you can forget that."

"Oh okay, thank God," Eren said, relieved. Though he was still curious as to what he did.

"And for you ending up here," Levi continued, "you got kicked out so I offered you my place, then you passed out on the couch."

"That's it? Ohh okay, yeah that makes sense now," Eren nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Man I must've been really out last night..."

"Well..." Levi started, as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He scrolled through his photos to look for a picture, which made Eren rather nervous. As he found it, he displayed his phone in front of Eren with the picture of him asleep on the couch. "You were like this."

Although it wasn't a bad picture at all, Eren looked at it in humiliation with the thought that Levi had the nerve to take pictures of him sleeping. His cheeks and ears started heating up. "What heyy- you fucker, delete that!" 

Eren was about to grab his phone when Levi took it away and turned it off at the last second. "I think it's rather cute."

"Oh shut up." But Eren couldn't even stay angry for long because of how those words made him feel. Levi had just called him  _cute_. He also liked the playful side of Levi that he showed once in a while. He yearned to bring more of that out of him, out from his usual grouchy attitude.

Eren may have been thinking or staring in silence for a second too long because then Levi brought his attention back. 

"Oi brat. Are we just going to stand here like idiots? I don't know about you but I got shit to do."

"Oh right," Eren said, realizing he should probably go now. He already completed the objective of getting his hoodie back, right? There's no other reason to stay, except... "Hey- wait Levi,"

Levi paused from just about starting to close the door.

Eren realized he didn't really plan this out. He never thought before he spoke and sometimes he wished he did. He just didn't want to leave him just yet. 

"I... Have you had dinner yet?" 

Levi contemplated for a second. "No, not yet."

"Wanna have dinner with me then?" _Please?_   Eren was testing the waters.  _Stop being hopeful._

Levi blinked back at him. "What, like now?"

 _He's considering it._  "Yeah, I mean, we both have to have dinner sooner or later," Eren reasoned, going along with his just-made plan, "and it'll be a way to repay you for letting me stay at your place."

Levi thought about it for a moment while Eren anxiously watched, trying to read his unreadable face. Then Levi finally answered, "Okay. Sure." 

"Really?" Eren lit up, almost not believing what he just heard. He was half expecting Levi to decline but was pleasantly surprised.

"Let's just not stay out too long. As I said, I got a shitload of crap to do."

"Of course." Eren was already smiling.

"Let me get ready, I'll be right back." Levi went inside and closed the door.

Eren couldn't believe it. He got a date with Levi! Friend date, of course. But still. He was suddenly very glad that his forgetful ass left his hoodie here.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading~!  
> This was a lot shorter, but I hope to update again soon, stay tuned^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dinner

 

Levi went back inside to his room. He fixed his hair at the mirror and then went to grab his wallet and phone at the charger. Though, he couldn't believe he actually agreed to this.

He clearly thought the brat would just grab his hoodie and go, and everything would be simple and done. Peace and quiet. And maybe he'll see him around in campus ever so often but that would be it.

What did the kid want with him? Was this some getting to know each other crap? _And why am I so interested?_

Levi brushed his thoughts away and decided to just get his dinner over with. He put on a light sweater and headed to the door.

 

~~~

 

Eren had waited outside by the door, enjoying the cool breeze. He had put his hoodie on so he wouldn't have to carry it, and was just thinking about places to eat when the door swung open.

Levi stepped out and with a sweater on, even with his casual wear, Levi upsomehow made it look classy. Eren also realized how short he was in comparison.

"Ya ready, short stuff?"

Levi went back inside and slammed the door without a word. Wrong words.

"Wait! Come back, I'm sorry!" Eren cried, banging the door. He was trying his hardest not to laugh at Levi being butthurt. "Come out Levi, I was wrong, okay?" Eren almost wondered if this was the exact thing that made Levi mad last night.

The door creaked open and if Eren thought Levi couldn't be any grouchier, he was wrong. Levi looked ready to kill.

"I can't fucking believe I'm still agreeing to this. And that I haven't kicked your ass yet," Levi grumbled.

Eren chuckled. "Beats me as well."

"Now, where are you taking me?" Levi asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well..." Eren had decided this on a whim and haven't given it much thought, but he could go to the usual diner around the corner. "We could go to Kruger's Diner."

Levi agreed that it was a good place to go and the two of them headed their way. As they walked side by side, hands in their pockets, they made their way out to the driveway and down to the road that led the way out of the suburban neighborhood, and to the bridge across the river to Main Street. The air was crisp, and although it was late winter, just a few weeks into spring semester, it was a comfortable cool weather for a walk.

As they were walking, Eren decided to break the ice with something completely random.

"So," Eren started, "what's the weirdest dream you're ever had?"

Levi actually took it into consideration and thought for a moment. "I don't know...usually in my dreams I'm just always falling. Either that or I'm late to something."

"Really?" Eren was surprised. "Well, in my dreams I always have the weirdest shit going on. Like the other night, I had this dream that I grew an extra finger and I was chasing this unicorn until I got stopped by a giant Lego."

Levi snorted at that.

"Dreams are so weird," Eren continued. "But they're really cool too. They're like stories that your brain subconsciously make up."

"Come to think of it," Levi started, "last night I did have a strange ass dream..and god forbid, it was inspired by your fucking man-eating monsters."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah and you-" Levi stopped short.

Eren didn't know why he suddenly paused and wanted to hear the rest of it. "Me?"

Levi debated whether or not to continue what he was going to say. Then he sighed. "You were in it."

Eren now got excited. "Oh shit, really?!"

"Yeah, I tried to save your sorry ass, but then you got eaten. But then you got so mad that you turned into one yourself and burst out. It was fucking weird."

That oddly made Eren really happy. He laughed. "Sweet. Glad I've already made enough impact in your life to appear in your dreams."

Levi scoffed at that, and Eren liked how much fun he was already having with him.

As they went on, the two made their way to the bridge that led the way to downtown. The view of the riverside that led into the city was just beautiful. The sun was low in the sky, giving the whole scene a golden glow, and the atmosphere just felt serene.

Across the bridge was Main Street. Main Street was the college town part of the city which was small, cute and safe, and filled with local restaurants and shops. People walked around holding hands, and the atmosphere was just perfect.

As they made it to Kruger's Diner, they found a table, sat across from each other and began looking at the menus. Moments later, after ordering food, the two sat there silently. Elbows on the table, hands on his cheeks, Eren smirked at Levi.

He kept eyeing Levi, and soon he began to make funny faces at him. Levi was left appalled.

"What."

"You sure are hard to break," Eren responded.

"The fuck do you mean?"

"You always have the same expression," Eren explained. "But... I think I'm slowly starting to get how you tick."

Levi was intrigued. "And how is that?"

Eren had to think for a bit. He didn't really know how he made Levi break his unimpressed look on his face other than just being himself. "I guess by just saying whatever nonsense is on my mind."

Levi took it into agreement. "Yeah, makes sense. Whatever's inside that head of yours is weird as hell."

Speaking of which, Eren couldn't tell whatever the hell was ever on Levi's mind. Eren always thought that Levi was shrouded in mystery.

The drinks soon arrived and Eren got his ice water while Levi got his black tea. Eren noticed how Levi carefully examined his cup, then held it by the rim as he took a drink.

"Do you always do that?" Eren asked.

Levi paused, cup still in the air. "Hm?"

"Like hold your cup like that?"

Levi was slightly surprised at how observant Eren was. But then again, it made sense since it wasn't exactly a usual habit.

"Yeah, I do that. It's more hygienic," Levi said, in a teaching manner. "The handle is fucking disgusting. You should try it sometime. It's enthralling."

Levi didn't even need to say that last bit because Eren had already started trying. He attempted to hold his glass of water by the rim, but as he tilted the glass, he forgot the water had ICE CUBES. _What_. Eren started choking like an idiot. He had failed miserably.

Levi nearly choked himself and coughed. "You're killing me kid." He was surely having a blast at Eren's stupidity.

Moments later, the waiter came with their food and they digged in right away. Eren was starving as always. He moaned as he bit into his juicy burger, earning him a look from Levi. He didn't care. It was so damn good.

Later on, they discussed hobbies and Eren started talking about his former track days, which Levi said made perfect sense. It explained how he was able to bolt so fast that night. Eren also mentioned being in the soccer team for a while.

Levi then talked about his affinity for rifle shooting and martial arts, all in which he picked up by himself. That all made Eren seriously wonder what kind of childhood and life Levi had lived before. Eren learned that he was also apparently a beast at tennis. What even is he?

Then it turned out that like Eren himself, Levi was also a massive geek. They bonded over Star Wars, Pokémon and manga for a solid twenty minutes, making Eren grin like an idiot. Levi also played games and had a good taste in movies and music, and .. _god was he perfect_. Eren couldn't comprehend Levi for the life of him.

What surprised him the most was that Levi also not only loved classical music, but he also taught himself how to play the fucking Chopin etudes on the piano. For fun. When asked what he liked the most, he responded with "Rachmaninoff is the shit."

"What even are you?" Eren asked, clearly defeated.

Levi didn't really know how to respond. "Look, I'm not that-"

"Nonsense," Eren cut him off before he tried to be any more modest. "Honestly...like holy fuck. Are you some sorceror or some shit? Like you are just.... so cool and fascinating and I don't even understand."

Levi completely brushed it off and answered, "I could say the same for you."

"Me? In what way?" Eren was in disbelief. He thought he was about as ordinary as people can get. Eren couldn't even possibly compare to him.

"Well, listen, you see I hate people," Levi started. "People just piss me off in general. Especially when they're too predictable or fake or some shit. I avoid humans at all costs and I take a while to warm up to anyone because I'm selective as fuck. But you. You're...an anomaly."

_An anomaly?_ Eren quirked an eyebrow. An interesting answer, and definitely not what he was expecting. Though he actually related to Levi a lot in regards to people. He urged him to go on.

"I don't even know what it is about you, but fuck, you're just different."

Eren didn't know what that meant but he kinda liked it.

"You're so interesting. Like...." Levi trailed off. "For instance, how your ears become red when you lie," he said.

"No they don't," Eren straight up denied. He felt his ears warming up. _Damn it to hell._

"You just proved my point, smartass." Levi smirked at him.

Eren felt attacked. He had been figured out already. Oh, Levi was pure evil.

"Well, now at least you know that I'm usually honest if I can't lie for shit."

He knew he couldn't lie for the life of him, but hoped that maybe this time would be different. _Goddammit_. It was exactly how his mother had always told him.

The rest of the night was full of more stories and joking around until Levi checked the time and cursed out loud. Eren then insisted he pay for everything, (it was his treat anyway), and then they walked back together. It was already dark outside, so throughout the rest of the way, they were accompanied by the light of a few lonely streetlights. As they made it back to the porch, it was finally time to part ways.

Eren definitely had a lot of fun. A lot more fun than he had for a while. From the looks of it, Levi probably enjoyed it just as well, at least he hoped. When it was time to say their goodbyes, Eren with his cheeky grin, said his usual, "until next time."

What surprised him next was that he was met with his own words back.

"Until next time."

Levi genuinely smiled and honestly, Eren couldn't feel any mushier inside.

_What a night_.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I'll be a bit more busy now, so it'll probably be weekly updates from now~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of introspection and hanging with friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some insight on their thoughts, friendships, and pasts...

 

_This cheeky bastard._

Surely Levi probably knew that the dinner last weekend wouldn't be the last time he saw him, but he didn't expect to see Eren again _this_ soon.

Starting just a few days after the events of last weekend, he first saw Eren after walking out of his physics class. As soon as he caught sight of him, Eren stopped as his eyes and his smile grew wider and wider as if he hasn't seen Levi in years.

"Levi!" He called out. "How are ya?"

Wearing a casual black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, he came over to greet him. Levi never understood how Eren could be so damn cheerful all the time.

"Feeling shitty 'cause I got another fucking group project," Levi replied, fresh out of class and still bitter with his professor.

"Oh shit... I'm so sorry," Eren said, relating to that misery all too well. Then he brought up, "Hey you got time? Wanna grab a coffee with me? I'm just about to head to the cafe."

Although Levi was free for another hour, his plan was that he was going back to his spot in the library to pass out before his next class. _Damn these youth and their energy..._

"Alright, fine," he finally responded. He honestly didn't know why he agreed. Maybe he needed it.

And that's what he told himself every other time he bumped into Eren. Jesus, he began seeing him everywhere and he wouldn't be able to avoid Eren even if he tried. Whenever he caught Levi not busy heading to class, Eren would always either ask about his day or start with a "you won't believe what just happened!!" and then invite to eat with him at the dining hall or to grab a cup of coffee somewhere.

And the thing was, Levi pretty much always agreed. He didn't know why, and it wasn't just because he was being nice. He never did things for the sake of being "nice". No, he really was truly captivated by whatever shit Eren had to say. It was almost as if every time he met him, Eren always had some ordinary yet bizarre story that happened right before. Like the one time a squirrel stole his pizza right out of his plate. Or the time when he thought taking pure powdered caffeine to get his work done would be a good idea.

Levi often wondered what kind of life he lived when he wasn't with him. _Fucking undergrads..._

Whenever Eren couldn't stop and talk to Levi, it was always because Eren was bolting across campus, late to class with messy hair and papers falling apart. He remembered this one time when he bumped into Eren sprinting, all Eren could say back in exasperation was, "my mess is a complete life."

And whenever he didn't see him, his brain always played tricks on him as if it were to compensate for the loss. There would be numerous times when he could've sworn he'd seen Eren. No matter what, he saw Eren everywhere and Levi absolutely hated it.

He hated how there were so many fucking Eren lookalikes on this fucking campus. He also hated whenever he didn't get his daily fill from Eren because it was pretty much the only thing he looked forward to every day.

_Fuck. What the hell was all that supposed to mean?_

He hated to admit, but he found himself enjoying Eren's company, a lot. To the point when he'd feel weird not seeing him.

And then there were the texts. Eren would always bring up a random question or opinion like what counts as a sandwich, and they'd debate over it sporadically throughout the day.

And the fucking Snapchats. Eren would send the pictures of the weirdest situations he could find, like a man riding a skateboard while eating a salad, which Levi could never wrap his head around. He'd also send him pictures of things from his pizzas to aesthetic sunrises. And after giving him a good roast, Eren would always send a picture of his middle finger back, which only made Levi smile and be ever more amused.

Levi wanted to know what the fuck was wrong with himself. His goal here was to get his degree and get the hell out. He never thought about other people for more than a day and yet here Eren was plaguing his mind for days on end.

For some reason, Eren was fascinating in every way and somehow grew to become one of Levi's favorite friends. He didn't know why or how but after meeting Eren, he learned to accept that some things just simply don't have answers.

 

 

\---

 

  
Levi took a drink of beer, then put it down and leaned back on his couch, arms on top and legs crossed. He and Hanji had invited Erwin, Auruo, and Mike over and were talking about the woes of life.

"How're you doing Levi?" Erwin asked.

Levi sighed. "My thesis is killing me."

"Oh, I know. It's excruciating."

"Any other updates?" Mike wondered.

"Ooh!" Hanji exclaimed. _No don't you dare say it_. "Apparently Levi made a new friend."

_Dammit._

That suddenly got everyone interested as if Levi hadn't made any other friends since he was five and in came the questions.

"Who is it?"

"Is it a he or she?"

"....Dateable?"

" ... In our department?"

Hanji answered them for him and honestly Levi was too fed up to answer anyway.

"He's Eren Jaeger and he's a sophomore, just a few years younger. Ugh! I'm dying to meet him, but from the way Levi talks about him, he seems super cute!" Hanji spoke excitedly.

Then she nudged Levi giving him a look, "Seems like you two seriously have some chemistry. Honestly, I think you should ask him out."

Levi shot her the dirtiest glare yet. But it seemed like the others began joining the fun.

"Yeahhh Levi get some!"

"It'd be good for you. You've been single for too long."

"You should change it up a bit."

_And this is why I hate my friends. Fucking nosy._

"Sounds fantastic. Now all of you shut the fuck up." Levi said, irritated.

He had given up on dating a while ago. And he was convinced he didn't even have the capability to fall in love.

Also, he liked Eren but certainly not in that way. Though he admitted that he had thought about it before, he brushed it off as mixing up what he really wanted. He just... greatly appreciated him. Being friends with him was oddly nice and he didn't want it any other way. Especially if it meant messing up what they already have.

Lately, for the past few weeks, they've bumping into each other on campus while talking about more wild shit and Levi liked the way things were. It was a nice change in his life and he was glad he found a new person to talk to.

Plus he didn't even know if Eren was single, let alone interested in guys. Or if he truly did himself. Though he was pretty sure he was. After his last and only relationship with Petra, Levi became ever more pessimistic on dating and whatnot. He was convinced that 'love conquers all' was all bullshit. Although they both liked each other a lot, things didn't work out in the end and all Levi remembered was how exhausting it all was. He liked the single life because it was one less thing to worry about, and he wanted to stay that way.

That of course, was his thoughts of reason. But on the other hand, goddamn. Eren continued to baffle him to no end. He was most definitely an anomaly because Levi would be sick of anyone else who was willing to be with him this often. _How does he even put up with me?_

Probably because Levi not only put up with him, he actually liked being with him. Eren never failed to amuse him, whether it be his random topic of the day, his passionate ranting or his ridiculous expressions. To even think that Eren thought he was ordinary was absurd. He was always so interesting and entertaining, and plus that goofy grin and bright eyes of his didn't help either.

He didn't recall much of the rest of the night except for Auruo imitating his rapping, (as if Levi ever raps), and Hanji thinking about throwing a party for her undergrad interns. He would have paid more attention if there wasn't someone constantly in his mind. Fuck has he been distracted lately.

 

  
~~~

 

  
Eren and his friends Mikasa, Armin, Christa and Ymir had been chilling out on the large couch in the basement lounge of their dorm building. They've been talking about college life, upcoming projects and exams, and new drama but Eren had long toned them out.

He couldn't help but think of Levi and how well they've become good friends. He wouldn't believe it would ever happen in a million years, and yet it did. It was a fucking miracle.

Over the past few weeks, he had been seeing him a lot and it really has been quite nice. They've now gone from the acquaintance phase to the teasing and sarcasm phase and it has been great. Whether it be talking about a weird thought or shitting on professors, Levi was rather easy to talk to. He was a good listener as well and actually cared to hear his rants.

Eren found himself wanting to find out more about him because he realized he also didn't know him at all. Levi continued to be a mystery to him. He had now always looked forward to meeting him, and it has become the highlight of his otherwise grueling college life.

"Eren, what are you thinking about? You've been awfully quiet," Ymir said.

"Huh?" Eren spat out, suddenly snapping himself out of his thoughts.

Ymir laughed. "You got someone on your mind?"

"Me?" He was still dazed.

The others started laughing.

"Yes, you. Wanna share?"

Before Eren could even start to think, Mikasa responded bluntly with, "it's probably Levi."

"What??" Eren was caught off guard. His ears went red. Oh fuck his ears.

"You're cute when you're flustered. Is he that dreamy?"

"Uh-" there was no point in denying it by now. Levi was his ultimate man crush. He decided to be honest and go along with it.

"Oh yeah definitely. His deep voice and his dark humor just gets me like... mmm.." Eren said, half-joking but also telling the truth.

".Oh..Well, damn Jaeger." She wasn't expecting that and neither did he.

After a bit more of teasing, Ymir said, "You guys should totally get together. Like me and Christa." She squeezed Christa's cheeks. Christa made a muffled squeal.

"Nah we're not like that," he dismissed. _Yet_. Though Eren honestly just wanted to _be_ him, not _with_ him.

Later on, after Eren had been teased enough, the topic changed direction to Jean. "Oh yeah, have you heard about Jean?" Ymir asked.

"What about him?" Eren didn't really ever get into his roommate's business.

"You don't know? Apparently, your roommate's been seeing a guy."

 _What? A guy?_ Definitely not what he expected.

"Marco, is it?" Christa added, looking at Ymir.

"I knew it! I called it first," Armin said, satisfied.

"As long as he gets off my case," Mikasa muttered. Remembering how Jean used to always flirt with her in the cringiest ways, the others started laughing.

Eren just shook his head trying to wrap his head around this. Jean being with Mikasa gave him the shivers. However, Jean the being with an angel like Marco was probably the least he'd expect to happen. How the hell did Marco put up with that horseface?? He'd like some lessons.

But that also got him thinking.. what would being with a guy be like? Let alone girls. Eren actually never been in a real relationship before. Sure Eren had experimented with girls before with the usual hooking up in college parties but never anything more. Never something that meant more, with feelings and strings attached. Hell, he wished to no longer be single. But he'd also rather be single than be in some sucky or mediocre relationship. He was actually quite picky with people, and he'd rather wait for the one, as cheesy as that sounds. Not that soulmate crap, just someone worth his time and his heart.

He longed to find someone that made him feel something. Someone that made him feel ...alive. But who was he kidding? In this day and age, maybe it was a bit too much to ask for. Then again, who the fuck knows. Maybe he already met this person without realizing it.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting school soon but hopefully I'll still be able to keep updating every week. 
> 
> It'll be more slice of life and Ereri moments from now on... :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet at convenience store, and Eren makes a discovery

 

If there's one thing Levi learned about Eren, it's that he's fucking weird.

He eats cereal with the milk in first. He hates waiting for the walking signals and has nearly killed himself twice since Levi's known him. He's clumsy as hell and walks straight into glass doors, then sighs like it's a regular occurrence. His record of most lollipops eaten in a day is 13. And weirdly enough he can handle his alcohol but not his coffee.

His head was filled with an endless amount of useless trivia and the strangest stories. And yet with all these odd aspects, he still found Eren charming.

Eren would be the one to stop by to pet every dog on the street. He'd be the one to send him the stupidest memes in the most random hours of the day. He'd also stop and fight for any injustice he'd come across regardless if it involved him.

There was just this certain warmth that surrounded him. A radiating energy in which he was just so drawn to.

He basically gave up trying to comprehend him. Eren was just a fucking marvel in every way.

Maybe opposites do attract after all.

 

~~~

 

It turned out that Levi gets road rage except for humans.

Eren honestly found it quite interesting. Levi gets easily pissed at slow walkers, loud talkers and especially line budgers. He wasn't kidding when he said that he hated people.

Headphones are his favorite because they shut out the world and he has no obligation to listen or converse with anyone.

But this all didn't mean that he hated everyone. He cares deeply for a small select number of people he holds dear to him. And somehow Eren happened to make that list. How? He had no fucking idea. But it certainly made him happy. It felt like such an honor, almost like winning a cat's heart.

Now he curiously wondered if Levi was a cat person. Food for thought.

 

\---

 

It was 1am and after finally finishing his tortuously long paper, Eren was browsing around the 24-hour local convenience store looking for the ramen. He was starving for some sustenance but as a broke ass college student, some plain ramen would suffice right now.

There was a variety of junk food on the shelves and all of it looked just so tempting. He thought that some more chips and soda wouldn't hurt. He picked up a bit of ramen and some other snacks into his arms.

"You."

He whipped his head around at the sound of Levi's voice. And there he found Levi standing at the corner of the aisle, wearing a casual dark jacket. Boy, was Eren glad to see him.

"Heyyy Levi," he said playfully, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Windex," Levi replied bluntly. Eren traced his eyes to Levi's hands and noticed that he was, in fact, holding a bottle of Windex.

 _Typical_. Eren had known about Levi's cleaning habits and how particular he was about his brands. A smile crept up Eren's face.

Levi furrowed his eyebrows. "What the fuck are you smiling about?"

"It's just.." Eren couldn't put it any other way but, "so you."

Levi stared at him unimpressed.

Then he looked at what Eren was holding. "What about you? That doesn't look healthy," he said as he eyed Eren's things.

 _Oh really now??_ Eren looked down at his food, wide-eyed. "Wait, what the fuck? I thought this was all nutritional," he said teeming with sarcasm.

Before Levi could start, Eren went on to explain himself. "Listen, buddy, I'm fucking broke and I'm hungry, okay?"

"You want our leftovers?"

"I...Oh," Eren's face changed. He was always struck by Levi's random moments of generosity. "I mean if you-"

"We have enough to feed a fucking town. We just had a party and I'm not going to eat the leftovers. It's yours if you want."

"Oh really? Man, I'd love to," Eren said, just imagining whatever leftovers Levi had would be better than what he was holding. However, it was not early. 

"But shit Levi it's like one in the fucking morning."

"Are you really going to sleep anytime soon?" Levi retaliated.

No, he wasn't and he knew it.

"Didn't think so. You're only a sophomore, and you're shit at taking care of yourself already." Levi patted his head. "Just come over and I'll give some to you."

Levi had this odd habit of patting his head. And whenever he did, it always made Eren weak. Weak to whatever decisions he had in his mind a second ago. He more than happily took up his offer. At this point, he wasn't going to say no to that.

They quickly headed to the checkout and Eren decided that he'd still buy some of the ramen and drinks, just because he was already here and that he might crave it some other day. Levi bought his big bottle of Windex and after all the transactions, the two held their groceries in plastic bags and the door jingled as they walked out of the store together.

Soon they were out in the open air. In the wee hours of the morning, the streets were empty, quiet and dark, with a surreal yet serene aura surrounding them. They crossed the empty roads, followed the streetlights and made their way to Levi's place, one in which Eren was already familiar with. On their way there, that's when Eren remembered his question that he wanted to ask him from earlier that day.

"Oh yeah Levi, just curious, are you more of a cat or a dog person?" Eren asked out of the blue.

Levi didn't even question Eren's random asks anymore.

"Definitely a cat person," Levi replied.

Eren beamed. "Knew it."

Of course, Levi liked cats. He was the human embodiment of a cat. Independent, quiet, aggressive when provoked, but gentle towards humans he's close with. Often introverted and getting lost in his own world. Eren smiled at himself, satisfied of his little analogy.

Late at night and lost in their own thoughts, the next thing they knew, they soon ended up near the door without realizing it. As they approached the home, Eren remembered about Levi's roommate.

"Oh yeah, do I get to meet Hanji?" He eagerly asked.

At that moment Levi suddenly remembered as well. His face fell in realization.

"Oh right," Levi said apologetically. "Please excuse her. Don't take anything she says too seriously. She's... Yeah, you'll see."

Eren wondered what there was to be too worried about. She seemed like a crazy but cool person to be around judging by Levi's stories, and Eren was quite interested in meeting her and seeing what she was actually like in real life. 

Levi opened the door and Eren followed him in. Despite being one in the morning, the house was still fully lit as if the evening had just begun. With the ambient lighting and the familiar scent in which Eren had come to know since the last time he was here, he realized how homely this place really felt. Not luxurious or special, but just very clean and welcoming. He was soon introduced to a female voice.

"Hey Levi!" exclaimed a brunette woman with glasses who Eren assumed was Hanji. She started walking towards them from the living room. "Oh, who do we have here?"

Before Levi could explain himself, Hanji noticed Eren and gasped with a huge grin on her face.

"You must be Eren!" Hanji announced excitedly, going straight to Eren and completely ignoring Levi existence. "Levi's told me all about you."

_What? Really?_

Hanji put her hands onto Eren's face and squeezed his cheeks. "My, your skin is soft!"

His face was too squished to say anything. Eren looked back at her like a fish, his eyes wide and not knowing how to react.

"And what wonderful eyes you have! Oh, Levi was right about-"

"Hanji," Levi cut her off.

"Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. Why welcome in! I'm Hanji, Levi's roommate." She stuck out her hand and Eren shook it, slightly cautious of what she'll do next.

"You're so cute! Oh, don't be shy, have a seat." She put her hand on his shoulder and gestured him towards the stools aside the kitchen island. Then she leaned close to Eren's ear with her other hand next to her mouth and said discretely, "You are welcome to come here anytime."

_What was that supposed to mean?!_

Hanji sure was ... quite eccentric. Eren had no idea that she would be so interested in meeting him, even more than he did for her.

While Levi was at the refrigerator taking out the leftovers to place on the table, Hanji sat down next to Eren and began spilling everything about Levi.

"You know, Levi likes you. Like a lot."

"Really?" Eren was rather curious to what Hanji had to say.

"Oh yeah," Hanji raved, smiling at him. "He may not show it but he goes on and on about you all day-"

"And I can end you." Levi threatened and glared at her at across the other side of the island. Hanji couldn't care less. She turned back to Eren.

"You'll have to be patient with Levi. He can really be an old grump sometimes," she said.

That almost made Eren laugh, he knew it all too well. Despite her being a weirdo, he decided then that he liked her.

Levi put down the plastic bag containing all the leftovers in front of Eren.

"Here," Levi said, purposefully interrupting the conversation, and placing it on the table.

"Oh thanks," Eren looked up to him while placing his hands on the bag.

"Levi, Eren and I will have a little bonding session now," Hanji announced.

"Yeah, sure," Levi said, already knowing that fact. He turned to Eren, "Eren feel free to head back when you need to. It's getting late."

"Okay," Eren replied. He took it into consideration and felt that staying five to ten minutes more to get to know Hanji better would be good before heading back. Levi began walking out of the kitchen.

Now it was time to ask the burning question that Eren had been dying to know about Hanji. "Oh yeah Hanji, Levi had always talked about them, but what exactly are your crazy experiments about?"

Upon hearing that, Levi then turned around and opened his mouth like he was about to say something. However, he opted against it and just said, "I'm taking a shower."

Eren now really wondered what he was going to say. On the other hand, Hanji's whole face lit up and started enthusiastically talking about her elaborate experiments.

As she started, Eren paid attention for about ten seconds. Then somewhere along the lines, he got lost in the complicated scientific jargon that he knew absolutely nothing about. He only got that it was about proteins and polymerase and phenotypes? He tried to keep up but gave up halfway.

Eren started getting very sleepy, but given how passionately Hanji spoke, he felt it rude to stop her and tried hard to fight back his yawning. His eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and it started to ache to keep them open. He tried his best to focus but it was getting difficult to keep himself from dozing off. He hated how rude he was acting. _Focus._

He soon lost track of time and didn't know how long Hanji was explaining her experiments before Levi had stepped out of the steaming bathroom and approached Hanji.

"Oi Hanji! That's enough. The kid needs some rest," Levi scolded at her.

If anything were to wake Eren up, this sight of Levi would be it. Because hot damn. Fuck, did he look good right now.

Eren couldn't take his eyes off of him. Levi had just come out of the shower fresh with his hair still slightly damp. In his white shirt and black shorts and with a towel around his neck, Eren felt that he was able to feel the warm steam and fresh smelling scent of his shampoo still radiating off of his body. And his body...Holy shit was it impressive. It was fucking hot. Not just hot. He was one sexy motherfucker. And this was still with his shirt on. Maybe it was the way he moved, or how he tousled his hair but damn he'd do him.

_Eren what the fuck!_

It was too much for him to handle. He took this as a serious cue that he had to leave. Now. Before saying or doing anything embarrassing. Like getting a nosebleed, or a boner. Or both at the same time. _Goddamn._ It was too late for this shit.

"Oh yeah, I-uh should go now." He suddenly got off his stool and stood up. "Bye guys. Thanks for everything."

He quickly grabbed his groceries and the leftovers and rushed his way to the door at fast as he could without spilling. When he got outside, he practically broke into a run with his thoughts still racing.

_What in the fucking hell was that?_

He knew Levi was fit but this was practically illegal. But he was more appalled by himself for reacting this way.

_Jesus fucking Christ. Eren, calm the fuck down._

His couldn't believe his face was going red. He was baffled more than anything.

_What in the actual fuck._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren is a bit more than just impressed ;)
> 
> Will update next week! Thanks for reading <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A literal Netflix and chill?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some cuddle porn ;)

 

Ahh, Eren. That kid was always full of surprises.

The way the brat made a beeline to leave the other night was probably the best thing Levi has seen in a while. He'd never seen anyone so willing to bolt out of there that fast in order to get away from Hanji. Plus that funny reaction was just everything. Hell, if Levi didn't know his freak of a roommate, he'd make a run for it too.

He wondered how long Eren would've stayed if Levi didn't stop her. Could Eren have stayed all night? _Ha_. Eren walked into his own trap asking about Hanji's fucking experiments.

Now Levi wouldn't say that he didn't want to see Eren or anything. It was actually the opposite. Admittedly it's been a while since he saw him and as much as he wanted to meet up, he just fucking couldn't. This week had been particularly brutal and in being completely swamped with work to do, he simply didn't have the time. He imagined Eren was the same because it's been a while since he last bothered him. Although at the same time, Levi hadn't contacted him either. He just sort of assumed that Eren would always find him one way or another and if Eren needed time then it completely made sense. Plus he hated initiating any text or meet up with a burning passion unless it was absolutely necessary. It was all too much work. However, despite being buried in work, he was curious as to what Eren was up to.

It turned out that Levi didn't need to ask. After finishing his 900th paper or so it seemed, Levi finally had some down time and was chilling on the couch with Hanji watching the show Black Mirror when he finally got a text from Eren.

**I'm so fucking mad**

Levi scoffed out loud. Of course he is. He replied:

**When are you not?**

Eren sent back a barrage of texts.

[Eren]: **Ha funny**  
[Eren]: **Yeah fuck you**  
[Eren]: **Actually...point taken**  
[Eren]: **But seriously**  
[Eren]: **Horseface kicked me out again**

Levi stared at the responses. It was just like the first time they met.

[Levi]: **You're shitting me**  
[Eren]: **hahaha no. I'm dead serious**

Levi couldn't tell if Eren secretly wanted this to happen or not, but Levi certainly did. He thought about it and figured it'd be nice for him to join them in watching TV.

"Hanji, Eren got kicked out again," Levi said not looking up from his phone.

"Why, just invite him over!" Levi looked up to see Hanji sitting with her knees against her chest and a hot chocolate on one hand, looking back at him as if it was the only obvious answer. Levi proceeded in typing back:

**Just get your ass over here**

Levi could just imagine that after reading the message, Eren would bolt and be here ten minutes max.

"Okay, I think he's coming," Levi said to Hanji. "Yes! I _love_ Eren," she responded back, more enthusiastic than Levi was, ironically. But inside, Levi knew he was rather excited. He just didn't want to show it to her.

Levi got up to get a blanket because for some reason the house has gotten cold the past few days after a week of warm sun. _The weather has got to make up its damn mind._

He went upstairs to his room to look for it and while he was tidying up his things, he found the blanket on the back of his chair. After retrieving his favorite dark green fleece blanket from his room, he wrapped it around himself, because Jesus it was fucking freezing, and began walking back downstairs to the living room. A little while after, he settled in on the couch with his blanket. Then he heard knocks on the door.

 _What the fuck, already? How?_ He had just gotten comfortable.

Levi got up to get the door but not until after wrapping himself in his blanket. He opened the door to find Eren standing there with a big smile and his bright eyes. Levi couldn't say that he didn't miss seeing his face.

"Hey," Eren said to him slightly out of breath, and before he could even say anything about Levi being wrapped up in a blanket, Levi responded with, "We're watching Black Mirror, wanna join?"

"Oh, what's that?" Eren asked curiously.

"It's a show about futuristic technology and some dark dystopian shit. Creepy as hell. You'll like it maybe."

"Cool. I'm in," he replied. Eren seemed pretty interested enough.

"Come on in then, it's freezing," Levi said motioning him into the house. Eren walked into the familiar place like a regular and was met with an ecstatic Hanji at the couch.

"Eren!" Hanji practically screamed with her arms out. "How've you been?"

"Oh hi Hanji! I've been good, just busy with work and all," Eren answered casually.

"Aww, well, get over here!" She said as she patted the middle seat of the couch. "Make yourself comfortable."

Eren made his way over to the couch and Levi followed behind. As they sat down, Levi took the side on the left while Eren sat in the middle between him and Hanji.

It didn't take long before Eren quickly became engrossed in the show. On the other hand, Levi quickly became engrossed in Eren's eyes. He thought they were definitely green before but now they seemed to be more blue. He was also fascinated by how reflective they were and started watching the show being projected onto his blue-green pupils. It was quite the spectacle. Then soon Eren turned his head.

 _Shit! Think of something._ "You uh- want something to drink?" Levi asked suddenly.

"Oh, I mean, yeah sure that'd be great," Eren happily replied. Levi quickly went up to go to the kitchen. It'd be hard to explain that all he was doing was watching the show from his eyes. That's fucking weird. Fuck.

He went to the refrigerator and looked at the canned drinks available. "Want a Dr. Pepper?" He asked, remembering it was one of the drinks he'd always get.

"You know it," Eren called from the living room. Levi grabbed a can for Eren and himself and walked back. As he sat down, he handed a can over to Eren.

"Thanks," he said as he took it and popped it open. He took a sip, then placed it on the table, eyes still glued to the TV. He sat forward and watched intently, trying to make sense of it all.

"So wait...what happened before this?" Eren said, puzzled. Hanji then sat up excitedly and proceeded in explaining.

Levi had already watched this episode so he had no intention of listening. Instead, he watched Eren, which in his mind was way more entertaining. As Eren was listening and nodding to what Hanji was saying, Levi watched as Eren's hands went for the bowl of pistachios in the middle of the table. He picked one up, and started opening the shell, then failing. He tried again, then lost its grip. Eren's mind wasn't really focused on the nut, so it just stayed in his hands as he fidgeted with it and struggled some more, while still listening to Hanji.

However, after watching Eren struggle for a while, Levi got fed up.

"Oh for fuck's sake" he murmured. As Eren looked back at him, Levi took the pistachio from his hand, opened the shell in an instant, took out the nut and gave it back to him.

Eren looked at it in his hand amazed. "Oh wow, thanks. How did you-?"

"Shitty brat, it's not that hard."

After Hanji finished explaining what was going on, they all leaned back and continued watching. Levi now took control of the bowl and began opening all the shells for Eren. He didn't even care to eat them himself and instead began piling up the pistachios in Eren's hand.

"Levi," Eren laughed. "You don't need to..."

"Yeah, I do, since you clearly can't. And I'm the host," Levi said logically like it was what all good hosts did. Eren wasn't about to protest and Levi was glad he didn't.

Later on as they continued to watch, Hanji got up, saying "I'm going to head upstairs now." Then she gave Levi a suggestive smile and said, "Have fun you two."

 _Hanji shut the fuck up..._ Levi wished he could shoot daggers at her from his glaring eyes.

But at the same time, although Hanji being there was perfectly fine, he was slightly glad that she left. It meant more time with just the two of them. Which meant acting however he wanted without feeling watched or being teased by her. And no interruptions or distractions for Eren. It'd be Eren all to himself. Good God, he didn't know why that even mattered to him.

Soon, as they slowed down with the pistachios, the episode took its dark turn and things got intense fast. And Levi was thoroughly entertained by Eren's reactions.

"Shit...No, no..fuck..."

Eren instinctively grabbed Levi's arm. He knew Eren was more of the touchy type but it still caught Levi by complete surprise. The bit of warmth from Eren's hand sent shivers down his cold body.

"Why?? No..no...I can't accept this. Did they really just...?"

"Yeah," Levi bluntly responded to his question. He liked how much Eren was in disbelief and denial.

"Well fuck me dead."

 _How eloquent._ Levi wouldn't put it any other way.

Eren soon felt a total loss and slouched back, making Levi almost want to console him. He had the sudden urge to wrap him up or something. Was that weird?

"You want some of my blanket?" Levi offered. The blanket was way oversized anyway and he realized that it must have been rude for him to sit there with a blanket around while his guest was next to him with nothing. Eren could have been freezing his ass off for all he knew. Though Eren did look fine and hadn't complained yet or anything.

Before Eren responded Levi already lifted his blanket so that it could fully cover Eren. He gently placed it down on him.

"Oh thanks, oh wow, that feels nice. It's so warm." Eren moved the blanket up so that it covered himself up to his shoulders. Naturally, he moved closer to Levi to make use of more of the blanket. He wiggled around and inched even closer until his skin touched Levi's.

That brought more shivers down Levi. He wondered if Eren could feel it. Then within moments, Eren intuitively rested his head on Levi's shoulder.

The first thought that came into Levi's mind was _shit that's warm. Really warm._ Then it was, _that strangely feels really nice._ And then, _who allowed you?_ He considered Eren a good friend but never thought they were close enough to do this type of stuff yet. Though Eren seemed completely unfazed as if he did this with all his friends.

Levi wasn't about to make him move away though. Not at all. It was too comfortable. Too precious. He didn't even want to move in fear that Eren will move away. The way how Eren's head fell on his shoulder was nothing how he thought it'd feel. Not bony but rather soft and comforting.

He realized that he never really got this close or physical with other people. Not even with Petra. She wasn't into hugs or cuddles all too much. And he thought he didn't either. But somehow with Eren, it was okay. More than okay. Fuck, it seemed like anything with Eren was fine.

"Wait is this okay?" Eren asked lifting his head up, suddenly genuinely worried if he stepped over some boundaries.

_Yes, it's okay. More than you can imagine._

With his hand, Levi slowly pressed Eren's head back on his shoulder, because it suddenly felt cold without his head resting there.

"Yeah," he quietly breathed, "you're good."

Eren took that as an okay and shifted his body so that he got into a more comfortable position. They watched for a bit longer but before long, the episode was brought to an end and then the credits began rolling onto the black screen.

After sitting there for a good while, Eren finally spoke. "Man that was...really depressing and stressful...but also really mind blowing and good." It seemed that he needed a moment to take it all in.

Then he brought up a sudden question. "Could you imagine if that all happened in real life?" Eren asked. "I'd probably go insane."

"Yeah," Levi agreed. "I'd be fucked for sure."

They then debated the not-so-happy ending for a while as the credits kept rolling. Soon the screen stopped and then Netflix began buffering the credits and the next episode for what seemed like forever. Levi felt that one episode was good enough and thought that Eren felt the same. He reached the remote and turned off the buffering TV to end its misery.

Eren sat up to yawn and stretch his arms. Then he readjusted the blanket up and went to lean back down, back to his place on Levi's shoulder. Levi still wasn't used to it. But he very much could get used to it.

"This is much better than staying in my dorm."

That satisfied Levi but he also wondered what that meant. It could mean so many things. What part was better? The couch, the house, or being with him? Or was it all of that?

"Can I.. like lay on your lap?" Eren asked.

_Well... what the hell...why not?_

"Yeah, sure," Levi said. He didn't even care anymore. "I don't bite."

"'Kay, just checking." Eren smiled. He maneuvered himself so that he was still covered with a blanket and then laid his head onto Levi's lap.

Why did Levi like this so much? He couldn't understand. He'd probably push off anyone else who tried to lay on his lap.

Eren laid on his back and looked at his hands. "Do you ever want to go somewhere?"

"Go somewhere?" _Like with him together?_

"Yeah like travel somewhere. Anywhere in the world."

 _Oh. That's what he meant._ Levi thought for a moment. He didn't really have an urge to go anywhere. "Not in particular. I'd like to go somewhere with mountains and forests. And rain maybe." He felt so uncreative.

"I can definitely see that," Eren said. Then with a glimmer in his eyes, he said, "I want to see the ocean."

 _The ocean? How come? And also, that's it?_ He thought it'd be somewhere exotic or elaborate. That seemed easy enough. The ocean was only around two hours away.

"Of course I want to travel the world someday," Eren continued. "But I haven't been to many places yet and just seeing the ocean has always been a dream of mine."

"That seems easy enough."

"What?" Eren looked up and in the dim light, Levi caught a look of his face. He found such precious, youthful hope in his eyes.

"We should go sometime," Levi suggested. Suddenly he realized what he was saying and wondered why he always made crazy suggestions whenever Eren was around.

"How?"

There was no going back now. "I mean, I got a car."

"You...What?" Eren looked at him incredulously. "You have a car on campus?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm a grad student."

"You need to tell me more things," Eren said, salty that he didn't know sooner. Though it also made him really happy. "But yeah totally we should go."

"Yeah maybe in the end of the semester, when it gets warmer."

"Road trippp, let's do it," Eren said with a grin. Levi imagined what that would be like and thought it would be quite fun. Especially watching his reaction to seeing the vast ocean for the first time.

Eren then turned so that he laid onto his side. Levi realized he suddenly had no idea what to do with his arm. Should he rest his arm onto him? He was really so clueless with skinship, it was pathetic.

He ended up resting his arm onto Eren for the heck of it because there was no other comfortable place to put it. Eren didn't seem to mind at all and in fact, he seemed to snuggle under his arm. God, at this point Eren really was starting to feel like a cat. Levi kinda loved it. And now he was trying to resist the urge to pet his hair.

Eren may have felt that Levi's hand was close to his hair wanting to touch it because then Eren reached and placed Levi's hand right onto his own head. He _wanted_ Levi to pet him.

Levi was astounded. No one ever put his hand on other people's heads, what kind of situation was that? But this was Eren, a kid who has broken every expectation of a person he had ever known.

And so because even Eren wanted him to, Levi began playing with his hair. His hair was so soft and smooth and just satisfying to touch. He just couldn't get enough. He knew he liked patting Eren's head but this was even different than that. After some gentle caressing, Levi then started to ruffle and tousle his hair, feeling the strands run between his fingers. He took his time to feel the different hairs, from the back of his head to the ever soft baby hairs of his forehead. Then slowly but surely, he began massaging his fingers into his hair and his head, delicately grasping and letting go of his dark brown locks.

"That feels... so nice..." Eren murmured in a dreamlike state.

The way Eren said that just made Levi want to melt. He was really glad Eren enjoyed it just as much as he did. Because _yes, it feels nice. It feels heavenly._

And as Levi continued to slowly play with his hair, the both of them began to feel drowsy. Levi felt so comfortable at that moment, he didn't want it to end. He closed his eyes. It'd be nice to drift off to sleep right now.. especially with this comfortable, bundle of warmth under his arm.

Then Eren moved. He tried to get up.

 _No, where's my warmth? Don't leave me..._ Levi groaned at the sudden cold and emptiness. He tried to hold Eren back. _Get back in here..._

Eren struggled while letting out a chuckle. "Dude, I need to pee."

"..Oh....fine.." Levi unwillingly let go of him.

"I'll be right back, don't worry. It's not like I'm off to war." Eren found it funny. Levi didn't. His warmth leaving him was a serious matter.

Eren got up and walked off. In the meantime, Levi laid down to rest his head on the headrest. He was now more awake, but still very tired. He waited for what seemed like forever and tried to regain the warmth of his own body. It was better with him. He rested his eyes again, thinking about how it felt to have Eren resting beside him.

Then the lights turned off and he heard Eren walking back. Levi groggily looked up, half opening his eyes.

"About damn time," Levi said sleepily. He became so tired that he made no effort to move.

Eren let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, alright." And with that, Eren then got into the blanket and crawled in right next to him.

That surprised Levi even more. He expected Eren to force him off the couch or something, not squeezing in. He didn't think that they would even fit. The couch was big but he didn't know it was this wide. He wondered if there was even space left. Was this what normal friends did? Levi could feel himself protest but he couldn't find himself to do it. He didn't want to. Instead, he reveled in this new comfort and the return of his warmth.

Eren hugged Levi's arm and rested the side of his body onto Levi's. And all Levi could think of was how this was better than any blanket he ever owned. He could stay like this forever.

And like that, they both began to sink deeper into the couch and into the dream state. But before Levi fell asleep, he made sure Eren was fine with this.

"You know... we've got a spare bed if you want," Levi spoke softly.

Eren's eyes were already closed. "Okay," he dismissed. He made no effort to move and instead just snuggled in deeper. "But this is just... so nice."

And so they stayed on the couch and Levi fell asleep to the rise and fall of Eren's chest and the sound of his gentle heartbeat beside him.

 

\---

 

It was suddenly morning and Levi woke up to the most restful sleep he's had in ages. He tried to get up, but then soon realized Eren was still cuddled up next to him sound asleep.

 _He's still here._ For some reason that relieved him. Maybe it was because it felt like it was so easy to lose Eren, like that first night when he left out of nowhere. Waking up to him gave Levi a sense of security.

Then the thought of breakfast came up. Levi wanted to set things right this time. He carefully got up without waking Eren up and then suddenly felt his whole body ache. _Goddammit._

He knew he shouldn't have slept on the couch and promised himself that next time he would only sleep on a proper bed. _That is, if there is a next time..._

Levi tried to brush that thought away but given how persistent Eren always is, there's probably bound to be a next time.

He went up to the kitchen and automatically began to make some eggs, sausages, and bacon just like any other morning. He cracked some eggs, stirred them around in a pan while cooking sausages and bacon in another like it was second nature. Soon after finishing, he placed the breakfast in front Eren on the coffee table right beside the couch.

Eren had since woken up to the strong aroma of breakfast. He was sitting upright and rubbing his eyes until he saw the plate of sizzling hot breakfast in front of him. Seeing the sight of food, he froze, mouth agape.

"L-Levi what in the... You gotta be fucking kidding me. You cook too?"

Damn did Eren get impressed so easily. Levi admitted that it was definitely quite fun to show his skills just to see Eren's wide eyed reaction, but knowing how to cook really was nothing. It was just a life essential.

"Eren close your mouth. Of course, I can cook, that's how we don't starve. You think Hanji can? She burns absolutely everything, even water."

Eren scoffed at that. With his fork, he took a bite of his food and groaned because apparently food gave him great pleasure. "Ugh, why is this so good?" He asked with his mouth full.

What was with Eren and compliments? Levi never took compliments well and didn't know how to react to this either. "It's really nothing special."

Levi then ate a bit from his own plate only to watch as Eren gulfed down his breakfast in less than a minute. He didn't know whether to feel appalled, honored or impressed at that.

Soon after eating, it was time for Eren to go and as much as Eren didn't want to leave, they both had plenty of things to do for the rest of the weekend. After gathering his things, Levi followed Eren to the door.

As he opened it and stepped outside, Eren turned around and with a genuine smile, he said, "Hey thanks for everything. It's been really fun."

Levi had the resist the random urge to squeeze his stupidly soft-looking cheek. Eren was always this stupid ball of sunshine. "No problem," was all Levi could say.

"We should definitely do this again," Eren suggested. "You could even come over to my place too sometime. That'd be lit."

Levi just scoffed. "Alright. See you around brat."

"See ya!" Eren waved back.

And then after the goodbyes, Levi closed the door and stood there for awhile just to process everything. Everything really happened. Last night was real and for some reason, he couldn't get the lingering feel of Eren cuddled next to him out of his head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Classes have officially started for me and so I will now be much busier. But I still hope to update in around 1-2 weeks~  
> Thanks for reading and for all the support!


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